Common room

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A common room is a shared lounge area in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There is one for each house. The common rooms feature fireplaces and sitting areas and are decorated in house colours. They are often used to do homework and to socialize with housemates. The boys' and girls' dormitories are also attached to the common rooms, with spells in place to prevent male students from entering the girls' dorms.

It can be said that the methods of gaining entry to each house's common room mirrors the perceived intellectual reputation of each house. Hufflepuff, often stereotyped as a house for "duffers", has a very simple method of entry that never changes. On the other end of the spectrum, Ravenclaw, a house prizing intelligence, provides a new intellectual challenge with each attempted entry.[1]